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“Any suggestion that BS26 or the Kraft Group have adequately addressed the Town’s concerns is false,” Foxborough Select Board Chair Bill Yukna said.
The FIFA World Cup Boston 2026 logo on display at Gillette Stadium on June 2, 2025. (Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe)
Hoping the town grants an event license, World Cup organizers sent Foxborough officials further details on how they plan to cover $7.8 million in security funding for Gillette Stadium, including a commitment from Robert Kraft’s group.
“Gillette Stadium has met with Town of Foxborough representatives to address Foxborough’s operational concerns and is committed to financially ensuring the Town’s needs are met for security related costs for the World Cup,” a spokesperson for Gillette Stadium said.
Foxborough town officials set a March 17 deadline to secure an estimated $7.8 million in funds to cover public safety costs for the seven World Cup games taking place over 39 days at Gillette Stadium.
The hosting committee Boston Soccer 2026, a nonprofit that receives no funding from FIFA, brought two attorneys to Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting. They said the public safety materials would be available by June 1, and the invoices will be paid within two days of the soccer games. Town officials seemed unconvinced.
BS26 officials sent a letter Thursday to the Select Board and Town Manager Paige Duncan Thursday outlining what the representatives told the Select Board on Tuesday.
“By paying the invoices in full within two business days, BS26 hopes to provide the Town with funds to pay all amounts due to public safety personnel in connection with the Town hosting World Cup Events in advance of any payroll or check run,” the letter, signed by BS26 President Mike Loynd, said.
If the group fails to pay any invoice, the town has the right to revoke the license, the letter says, acknowledging that Foxborough officials have “concerns about BS26’s financial status.” BS26 said they have $2 million in the bank and are expecting at least $30 million more from state and federal funding, as well as “commercial activities.”
Bill Yukna, the Foxborough Select Board Chair, told Boston.com that an agreement has not been reached yet and that “any suggestion that BS26 or the Kraft Group have adequately addressed the Town’s concerns is false.”
“What they have presented is essentially an agreement with themselves but such terms are not responsive to the town’s requirements and will not suffice to address the Town’s needs for providing security services for these events,” Yukna said about the “one-sided announcement.”
“We look forward to continue working with all stakeholders on this matter,” he said.
Kraft backs soccer hosts in commitment letter
Kraft Sports & Entertainment, which owns the more-than-65,000 seat Gillette Stadium, included a commitment letter to provide “sufficient liquidity to support the funding of certain expenditures of BS26.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Gillette Stadium said the World Cup matches in June and July “are not revenue generating events for the stadium, but they do generate a significant amount of tourism and visibility for the state.”
KSE agreed to pay equipment expenditures not exceeding $1,512,490, and said “expenditure advancements shall be made available to BS26 in minimum amounts of $100,000.”
“Providing a stadium for the World Cup means shutting it down from all external business for two months and we were happy to do it, as we are proud to showcase our home state,” the spokesperson said. “We are committed to working with our partners at the local, state, and federal level to ensure a safe and secure event and ask for shared cooperation from all parties as the tournament proceeds.”
The Foxborough Select Board is set to meet again March 17, where it will likely discuss whether to grant the event license.
Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.
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